TRADITIONAL lowland hunting in Worcestershire and Herefordshire will be outlawed under proposals due to be unveiled by Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael today.

The legislation, which will be introduced in the next session of Parliament, will ban the "cruelty" of hunting.

It will outlaw the pursuit in almost all parts of England and Wales, along with hare-coursing and stag-hunting.

It will only be allowed to continue where it is considered necessary for "pest control", where there are no alternatives which are less cruel.

This will mean that foxhunting with hounds would survive in a few upland areas, such as Cumbria, where other methods of killing foxes are deemed to be more cruel.

Gun-packing, which is used in areas of dense woodland in Wales, may also be allowed to continue.

In those areas where gassing and shooting are regarded as more cruel than hunting, hunts will be able to apply for a licence to continue. Appeals may be launched against both the granting and refusal of licences.

The proposals, due to be announced in a Commons this afternoon, run the risk of angering both pro and anti-hunt supporters in the two counties.

On Monday, MPs voted by an overwhelming 211-vote majority in favour of a ban. Many feel allowing hunting to continue in any form is a "cop out".

"My initial reaction is that it would ban the lowland hunting typical of places like Worcestershire," said Worcester MP Mike Foster. "As always, the devil's in the detail."

The House of Lords rejected a total ban and voted to allow hunting to continue under licence - the so-called Middle Way - by 366 to 59.

Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff said today's news was "a contradiction in terms".

"There's no excess suffering in hunting. It's the least cruel form of vermin control," he said.

Ministers anticipate fierce clashes between the Lords and the Commons as Peers resist the move to outlaw the majority of foxhunting.

In the last Parliament, a Bill to ban hunting failed because it ran out of Parliamentary time.

But Mr Michael will warn that, this time, he will use the Parliament Act to force the Bill through the Lords if no agreement is reached.